I get tired of being positive. I don’t want to learn the lessons life is trying to offer me. All I want is for life to let me live on my terms. Rarely does it work that way though.
At times I can’t seem to handle whats going on around me. I’m presented with seemingly large obstacles to see how I will react. I’m cognizant of what’s happening and even tell myself, “these are tests, handle them in an appropriate manner.” Yet when I face the challenge, I act the complete opposite of what I’ve prepared myself for and I fail miserably.
I’m angry I have to face the follies of my past. Others have made similar choices and are able to continue on with what they are doing. But, for me, it’s never that way. God always seems to want to take away the things I want to do. I want to be able to do steroids, take painkillers occasionally and maybe do a line of coke here and there. I’m bitter I can’t be normal and do things in moderation.
I write a lot about self improvement; dealing with fear and adversity while staying positive. Hardships have plagued my life for years, so I feel I have a lot of experience overcoming adversity. Then I have times like this where I can’t follow my own advice and I wonder if I have the right to offer it anyone else. Am I full of shit? Where do I get off writing about this stuff? How can I create a message to help others when I struggle to do it myself?
I read a lot of what so called experts write and I wonder, what makes someone an expert. How does someone decide they have practiced enough and created a level of success worthy of calling themselves an authority. Is it the 10,000 hour rule? Or does it have more to do with what someone can persuade others to believe with their words?
When I look at many of these authorities I laugh. Especially in the fitness world. They are often people who look like shit in my opinion. They are either too small or too fat for me to believe in anything they say before I have read their articles. I dismiss them based on preconceived notions.
Then there’s the business authorities who don’t seem to any real money or success. They discuss buzzwords and trendy topics, like what’s the best “force multiplier.” They offer no insight into real world practice or how they applied these techniques with measurable results.
Then I start to think, “oh shit, have I become one of these people?”
My perception creates judgement of these individuals. I have formed my opinion based off of little to no factual information. These authorities may not have what I deem to be the best physiques or the most successful businesses. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t far more knowledgeable than me and helping other people.
We all need someone we can look to for help and glean knowledge from. Everyone’s goals and what they deem to be achievable are different. That’s why there are so many authorities offering their input. People need to have choices.
Not everyone aspires to be 240 lbs and lean. Some people don’t care to be extremely wealthy and create multiple revenue streams. Some people are happy being better than they were a year ago. There is nothing wrong with that. Actually, some may find more happiness with that type of relaxed life. Being content and secure in who you are is something few people ever achieve.
Advice can be dangerous if not taken with a grain of salt. I think we can all learn from everyone we interact with. The lesson may be to never listen to that person again because they don’t know what they are talking about.
The problem with advice is the abundance of it out there. Everyone has their opinion and is quick to offer it. Sifting through what’s actually useful for you can be time consuming and daunting.
Advice tends to be vague and left to interpretation. This is on purpose, because no matter how solid the advice is it won’t work for everyone. We all want to find a silver bullet. At least I know I do. I want to be told exactly what to do and when to do it for optimal results. But life isn’t a perfect science.
Creating positive habits takes practice and execution everyday. Success in any area of life is built upon a few basic tenets: consistency, continually learning, hard work, stepping outside your comfort zone and not being afraid to fail.
Want my advice on advice? Take what you need and leave the rest. Whatever information resonates with you, try it. If it works, keep doing it. If it doesn’t, change it.